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Let’s talk about the question nobody wants to ask until they’re actually thinking about selling:
How much is this going to cost me?
Because the Zestimate is fun.
So is imagining the pile of money you’re going to make.
And looking at the house you want to buy next? Very fun.
Eventually, though, we have to ruin the party slightly and talk about what it actually costs to sell a house.
If you’re thinking about selling your home in Stanwood, WA, there are expenses to plan for but probably not in the way you think.
Before you start repainting your entire house, replacing perfectly acceptable countertops, or spending $14,000 at Home Depot because the internet told you buyers like beige…
Call me first.
Seriously.
I might save you money before we even talk about putting your house on the market.
First: Please Don’t Fix Everything
One of my favorite parts of a listing appointment is walking through a house with a seller and hearing the list they’ve already created in their head.
“We need to replace this.”
“Maybe we should paint that.”
“And please don’t look at the garage.”
Meanwhile, I’m mentally sorting everything into three categories:
Yes.
Maybe.
Absolutely do not spend money on that.
Your home does not need to become a brand-new house before we sell it.
Instead, it needs to be strategically prepared for the person most likely to buy it.
Those are very different things.
For example, fresh paint can have a great return. Cleaning up the landscaping might completely change a buyer’s first impression. In other cases, there may be a repair I would rather handle before a buyer’s inspector gets involved.
And sometimes?
I am going to tell you to put your credit card away.
Ultimately, the goal isn’t to spend the most money getting your home ready.
The goal is to spend money where it actually helps you make money.
How Much Does It Cost to Prepare a House for Sale?
This is where every Stanwood home is different.
I’ve walked into houses that needed almost nothing. On the other hand, I’ve also walked into houses where we needed a plan.
Cleaning, decluttering, landscaping, paint, repairs, staging, there are plenty of things we could do.
However, that doesn’t mean we should do all of them.
Before I recommend spending money, I want to know the likely price range and who our likely buyer will be. I also want to look at the other homes we’ll be competing against and what buyers are likely to notice.
Most importantly:
Will spending this money actually change the outcome?
That’s the question.
Not:
Would this look prettier?
Of course new everything would look prettier.
Give me an unlimited budget and six months, and I can make your house look fantastic.
That’s not the assignment. 😂
Instead, the assignment is to get your house positioned to sell well without unnecessarily eating into the money you’re trying to walk away with.
What About Photography and Marketing?
This is one area where I don’t like shortcuts.
After all, your first showing usually doesn’t happen when someone walks through the front door.
It happens on their phone.
Buyers are scrolling listings and making decisions incredibly quickly. Because of that, photography matters.
So does presentation.
Beyond that, the order of the photos, the description, and the way we position the home all matter too.
Depending on the property and our strategy, marketing may include professional photography, video, floor plans, signage, printed materials, open houses, and digital marketing.
Still, I don’t believe every house should get the exact same marketing plan.
For example, a home with acreage outside Stanwood has a different story than a newer home across from a neighborhood park.
Have an incredible shop?
We’re showing the shop.
Maybe the backyard was made for entertaining. In that case, I want buyers imagining people out there.
And if there’s a view?
You better believe we’re talking about the view.
Good real estate marketing isn’t just showing people what a house has.
Instead, it’s helping them understand what their life could look like there.
What Closing Costs Does a Seller Pay in Washington?
Now we get to the less cute part.
When you sell a home in Washington, there can be costs associated with actually closing the transaction.
Depending on your specific sale, those may include things like:
- Washington real estate excise tax
- Title and escrow charges
- Prorated property taxes
- Mortgage payoff-related expenses
- Negotiated buyer concessions or credits
- Repairs or other negotiated costs
- Real estate brokerage compensation, which is negotiable
Of course, your exact numbers depend on your property, price, and transaction.
That’s why I don’t want to throw a random percentage at you and call it useful.
Instead, I want to create an estimated seller net sheet based on your house.
Because there are two numbers sellers tend to confuse:
What your house sells for.
and
What you actually walk away with.
Guess which one I care about?
The second one.
And Then There Are the Costs Nobody Remembers
You know what doesn’t always make it onto the seller net sheet?
The actual moving part.
Think boxes, movers, storage, pet boarding, deposits, cleaning, and possibly carrying two houses temporarily.
Plus, there’s buying takeout for three straight nights because every plate you own is inexplicably at the bottom of a box labeled MISC.
If you’re selling one home to buy another, timing matters too.
For example, do you need the proceeds from your Stanwood home for the next purchase?
Maybe we need to coordinate possession. Perhaps you can buy before you sell. Or we might need to figure out temporary housing.
And, ideally, we’re trying to avoid moving twice.
This is where I tend to get a little obsessed.
Because I don’t just want to sell your house.
I want the whole move to work.
What Will I Actually Make If I Sell My Stanwood Home?
Now we’re asking the better question.
If your house might sell for $700,000, that’s useful information.
However, it isn’t enough.
First, what could it realistically sell for?
Next, what should we spend getting it ready?
From there, what expenses should we expect?
Ultimately, what could you actually net after the sale and what do you need financially for whatever comes next?
Sometimes I meet with someone and selling makes perfect sense.
Other times, we create a six-month plan.
And occasionally, the answer is:
Don’t sell yet.
I’m okay with that answer.
My job isn’t to convince every homeowner I meet to put a sign in their yard.
Instead, my job is to help you make a smart real estate decision for you and your life.
You Don’t Need to Be “Ready” to Call Me
This is important.
Please don’t wait until you’ve painted the house, cleaned every closet, finished the landscaping, replaced the carpet, organized the garage, and developed a color-coded moving plan.
You can literally call me and say:
“Okay, Lacey. This might sound crazy, but…”
Perfect.
Those are some of my favorite conversations.
Maybe you want five acres.
Or you need another bedroom.
Perhaps you’re ready to downsize, move closer to your grandkids, or leave Washington entirely.
Maybe you found another house and now you’re wondering how in the world you’re supposed to sell this one and buy that one.
Or maybe you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing—you just know something needs to change.
That’s enough.
From there, we can figure out the real estate part.
Thinking About Selling a Home in Stanwood, WA?
Start with the numbers.
Before you spend money getting the house ready, let’s look at the property and talk about what it could realistically sell for. Then, we can identify what is and isn’t worth doing before listing and estimate what you could walk away with.
After that, we get to talk about the fun part:
Where are you trying to go?
Because selling the house isn’t really the goal.
The house is great.
The people are better.
And helping you get from where you are to where you want to be?
That’s the part I love.
Lacey Winslow, REALTOR®
Windermere Real Estate / CIR
Selling Stanwood. Building community. Making your next move possible.
